Cupola linings, including railroad rails



United States Patent O curorA LrNINGs, INCLUDING RAILROAD RAILS Leo A.Gionet, Port Washington, Wis., assignor to Modern Equipment Company,Port Washington, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application ctober 17,1952, Serial No. 315,367

6 Claims. (Cl. 2661-43) This invention relates to improvements in cupolalinings.

Cupolas are customarily lined with rebrick which deteriorates during useand requires periodic replacement. This is an expensive operationrequiring shutting down orn the cupola and the employment of skilledbricklayers. Deterioration of the cupola lining results from the gougingeffect of impingement thereon of sharp edged pieces of scrap metal orother portions of a charge dropped into the cupola from a chargingbucket.

it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved cupolalining which is used in conjunction with a rebrick lining to protect andpreserve the latter and thereby substantially reduce maintenance costs.

A further object of the invention is to provide an irnproved cupolalining, the maintenance of which can be readily carried out byrelatively unskilled workmen.

A specific object of the invention is to provide an improved cupolalining including a plurality of spaced metal wear members havingsurfaces ush with the inner surface of said lining, the spaces betweensaid wear members being filled with a castable refractory material whichcan be readily patched when necessary.

A further specific object of the invention is to provide an improvedcupola lining of the class described wherein the wearing members maytake the form of railroad rails which are positioned suiiiciently farapart to allow enough refractory material between the rails to protectthe latter from the cupola heat, and are positioned sufficiently closetogether to prevent any deep gouging out of the refractory materialtherebetween.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide an improved cupolalining of the class described wherein the wear members are formed into aunitary cylindrical basket having a funnel-shaped lower end, said basketbeing built into the upper end of a cupola in a position to receive theimpact of a charge dropped into the cupola from a charging bucket.

A further specific object of the invention is to provide an improvedcupola lining of the class described wherein the metal basket is notdirectly connected to the outer shell of the cupola which eliminates anywarpage or hot spot problem in connection therewith.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide an improved cupolalining of the class described wherein the unitary nature of the metalbasket prevents deformation' of said basket and distributes the shockfrom the impact of the falling charge to all of the rails of the basketthereby preventing any local concentrations of shock and deformation ordisplacement of the rails which might injure the rebrick.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of theimproved cupola lining and all of its parts and combinations, as setforth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

ln the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification,wherein one complete embodiment of the preferred form of the inventionis shown, and wherein like naar Patented `ivrly 19, 1955 ICC charactersof reference indicate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the upper portion of acupola constructed in accordance with the invention, parts being brokenaway and shown in section; and

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional plan view takenapproximately along the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 5 indicates acupola having an enlarged upper end 14 connected to the main portion 15of the cupola 5 by a funnelshaped portion 16. The cupola 5 has a metalouter shell 6, a layer of insulation brick 7, and a layer of irebrick 8.Within the enlarged portion 14 of cupola 5 are a plurality of spacedvertical rails 9 positioned with their base plates against the innersurface of the iirebrick layer. The rails 9 are formed into a unitarycylindrical basket by circumferentially extending tie rods 1t) which arewelded to and extend between adjacent rails 9 to rigidly connect themtogether.

A plurality of inclined, radially disposed rails 11 overlie the surfaceof the firebrick lining the funnelshaped portion 16 of the cupola. Therails 11 are rigidly connected to each other and to the rails 9 by thelowermost tie rods 10 which are welded to the webs of rails 9 at thelower ends thereof and are also welded to the webs of rails 11 at theupper ends of said rails. The lower ends of rails 11 are rigidlyconnected together by tie rods 12 which are welded to the webs thereof.The rails 9 and 11, and tie rods l() and l2 thus form a unitarycylindrical basket having a funnel-shaped lower end conforming to theshape of the lirebrick lining 8.

Overlying the layer of rebrick 8 between the rails 9 and 11 is a layer13 of refractory material of a type which, during the applicationthereof, is in a plastic or castable state. The surface of the layer 13is preferably tiush with the inner surface of the rails 9 and 11. Therails 9 and 11 are spaced apart sufficiently so that the layer 13protects them from the heat, and are sufficiently close together toprevent any deep gouging of said layer by portions of a charge. Inpractice, spacing the rails 9 and 11 on approximately eight inch centershas worked out satisfactorily.

The improved cupola lining protects the firebrick layer rom damage, notonly by preventing any direct contact of the charge with the firebrickunder rails 9 and 11, but also by preventing any local concentrations ofshock on said iirebrick through said rails. The latter protection isafforded by the unitary construction of the rail basket. The tie rods 10and 12 distribute the shock from the impact of the falling charge to allof the rails, and also prevent deformation of the basket. When the layer13 has become eroded from use, it can readily be plastered up withadditional refractory material by ordinary mill labor to again bring thesurface of said layer flush with rails.

Various changes and modications may be made without departing from thespirit of the invention, and all of such changes are contemplated, asmay come within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. 1n a cupola: a layer of firebrick; a plurality of spaced metal wearmembers of predetermined depth, normal to the firebrick, having fiatsurface portions facing the outer side of the cupola and positionedagainst the inner side of said rebrick layer and also having outerwearing surfaces facing the interior of the cupola; and a layer ofcastable refractory material overlying said iirebrick on the inside ofthe cupola and filling the spaces between said wear members, the surfaceof said o layer being ush with the wearing surfaces of said members.

1n a cupola: a layer of rebrick; a plurality of spaced verticallyextending narrow elongated metal wear members of predetermined depth,normal to the iirebrick having flat surface portions facing the outerside of the cupola and positioned against said irebrick layer and alsohaving wearing surfaces facing the interior of the cupola; and a layerof castable refractory material overlying said firebrick on the insideof the cupola and filling the spaces between said wear members, thesurface of said layer being flush with the wearing surfaces of saidmembers.

3. ln a cupola: a layer of iirebrick; a plurality of spaced parallelvertical extents of railroad rail having at base plates positionedagainst the inner side of said firebrick layer, said rails also havinghead wearing surfaces; and a layer of refractory material overlying saidtirebrick on the inside of the cupola and filling the spaces betweensaid rails, the surface of said layer being iiush with the head wearingsurfaces of said rails.

4. in a cupola: a cylindrical tubular layer of firebrick', a pluralityof spaced vertically extending narrow elongated metal wear members ofpredetermined depth normal to the firebriclt disposed against the innersurface of said layer, said wear members having vertical wearingsurfaces spaced from and parallel with said layer; tie rods extendingbetween and rigidly connecting said wear members together to form aunitary tubular basket; and a layer of castable refractory materialoverlying the inner surface of said frebrick and lling the spacesbetween said wearing members to cover said tie rods, the surface of saidrefractory layer being substantially flush with the Wearing surfaces ofsaid wear members.

5. In combination: a cupola having a tubular cylindrical body and havingan enlarged tubular cylindrical upper portion connected to said body bya funnel-shaped portion; a tubular layer of firebrick lining said upperand funnel-shaped portions of said cupola; a plurality of spacedvertical metal wear members of predetermined depth, normal to therebrick disposed against the inner surface of the firebrick and liningthe cylindrical upper portion of the cupola; a plurality of spacedinclined wear member of predetermined depth, normal to the firebrickpositioned on the firebrick and lining the funnelshaped portion of thecupola, said wear members having wearing surfaces spaced from saidrebrick; means rigidly connecting said vertical and inclined wearmembers to form a unitary tubular basket having a funnel-shaped bottom;and a layer of refractory material overlying said iirebrick layer andfilling the spaces between said wear members, the surface of saidrefractory layer being substantially ush With the wearing surfaces ofsarl wear members.

6. En a cupola: a tubular wall, a plurality of spaced verticallyextending metal I-rails of predetermined depth z normal to the iirebrickembodied in said Wall, said rails having vertical wearing surfaces onthe interior of the cupola, a plurality of spaced circumferentiallyextending tie rods rigidly connecting said rails to form a unitarytubular basket, said wall including a layer of castable refractorymaterial filling the spaces between said rails and covering said tierods, the surface of said refractory layer being substantially iush withthe Wearing surfaces of said layers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNTED STATES PATENTS1,459,895 ives June 26, 1923 2,148,856 Cope Feb. 28, 1939 2,230,141Hever Jan. 28, 1941 2,486,348 Wehr Oct. 25, 1949 2,589,519 Cope Jan. 1,1952

